The Unnao rape survivor, lawyer and two aunts were on their way to visit the survivor’s uncle when a truck collided into the car they were travelling in. The rape survivor, is now on ventilator support and she is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli
Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav extended support to the Unnao rape survivor on Wednesday (July 31), hoping the Supreme Court and the Uttar Pradesh government will now ensure justice to the teen who has accused a BJP lawmaker of raping her two years ago.
The car of the rape survivor, now 19, was hit by a truck on Sunday (July 28) in Rae Bareli district, critically injuring her and her lawyer. Two of her family members died. The teen's family has filed a complaint alleging conspiracy behind the road accident.
"It is no secret that the accused MLA has had the patronage of the ruling BJP. This is why the rape case, which is with the CBI, is pending for a long time for one reason or the other and because of which the rape survivor today has become victim of a new mishap and battling for life. Very sad," the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.
Also watch: Unnao rape survivor’s battles against BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, CBI takes over probe in accident
She, however, said the top court taking cognisance of the survivor's letter, in which she had expressed fear that her life was under threat from political strongman and Bangermau MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, was a welcome move and has revived hopes of justice to her.
"The MLA's threat to Unnao rape survivor and her family to withdraw cases and attempt to murder is a very serious allegation and the Supreme Court taking its cognisance is a very welcome move," the BSP president said, adding, "BSP thanks the court. This has given hope of justice to the survivor.”
Akhilesh Yadav said the Samajwadi Party (SP) is with the survivor and her family in this fight.
"The entire family is in grief. They don't trust the administration because they had to fight to get justice from the first day. The survivor had tried to self-immolate herself to get the FIR registered. They were getting threats regularly and in the accident two members lost their lives," he told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.
Also read: Unnao rape survivor accident: CBI probing case; FIR against Kuldeep Singh Sengar, 25 others
Yadav visited the King George's Medical University in Lucknow on Tuesday to inquire about the health of the survivor, who was admitted in critical condition after a truck hit her car in Rae Bareli. Other than her, her lawyer was also critically injured.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took note of the survivor's letter to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, alleging a threat to her and her family from Sengar, a four-time MLA.
The letter signed by the girl, her mother and aunt stated that Sengar's men visited her home on July 7 and threatened them. The next day, another person visited their home.
The top court sought a report from its secretary general why the letter had not been brought to the CJI's notice. It also asked the Uttar Pradesh authorities to file a status report by Thursday on the accident of the Unnao rape case survivor.
A copy of the letter, written by the survivor and two of her family members, was also sent to the Allahabad High Court and Uttar Pradesh government authorities.
The CBI has filed a case against MLA Sengar and nine others on murder charges in the accident case. Sengar was arrested in April last year for allegedly raping the woman when she was a minor in 2017.
Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh has said the MLA was suspended from the party "long back" following the rape accusation, and his status remains the same. The party, however, has not given the date when this suspension took place.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.